I look to both the East and West, trying to work out which way to turn but being unsuccessful. I turn to look at Kzrira as she mentions sending the puppies down a possibly trapped passage, my face showing my concern for the animals and disapproval of her idea.

I then turn to face West, "I don't want to get hurt anymore, so I say stay away from the corridor that may hurt us a lot and go for the safer one."

Karethas sighs quietly, "Well, if we KNEW there was a trap there, then I may use a creature to spring it. That is, if we knew that it would disarm the trap. I am not, however using a spell to send a creature down a hallway because I surmise that there MAY be a trap there."

The little dragon glides down the narrow stairway and lands at the edge of the small 20x20 room beyond. He senses little in the room except for thick dust and cobwebs. In fact, the only item of interest is an odd statue in an alcove across from him that resembles a woman with a winged lioness' body.

Hmmm, so I can be channeled now? Definitely a most interesting thought :)

I watch Auri fly off and hear the scream of a trap. Once I see him at the top of the stairs and hearing what he said I look excited, "A living statue, did it talk, what happened, please tell me ... oh, you weren't hurt were you?"

There are of course many, many things it might be, from gargoyles and elementals that might resemble statues to spell animated statues to golems. Hard to say which this might be from such a basic description.

Traveling down the stairs, Faelar comes to the threshold and peers over Aurichalcum into the chamber. The light of the lantern reveals what is obviously a statue of a gynosphinx in the alcove across the room.

Once Faelar returns Karethas speaks up, "So something like that is likely not to be hurt much by teeth, arrows, or swords, though Amir's mace might hurt it. I can summon another elemental to bash it, but that will be my last one. I can also use my acid darts, which may be useful. If it moves from its pedestal then I can create a pit under it that will keep it out of our faces for a few moments, but will only do a little harm to it. So
All that said, any other ideas to deal with this thing?"

I look to Karethas, "Although I would enjoy conversing with the creature, I doubt it would be able to respond and if us going over there is going to hurt it, then I say we go the other way and do not injure it or ourselves."

Kzrira continues to stay toward the bottom of the steps watching to see if anything moves.

From what you all have said, this place is alive with magic. If that is so, then I think that we need to search and see what is to be found. There is a Carrion King out there somewhere, and I imagine that he would be very happy if we were to show up on his doorstep unprepared.

The little dragon inspects the chamber once again keeping away from the troubling sphinx statue. In the center of the room, he notes that the dust and rubble have been pushed away, perhaps by the statue's lunge at him and then the statue moves again!

Amir draws his weapons as soon as he spots the sphinx statue crouch to pounce on the brave little dragon. Suddenly a pit appears before it causing it to slide unexpectedly into the darkness below. Karethas and Faelar recognize that it is of course an animated statue. Not powerful to be a stone golem, but likely a strange form of caryatid column. These guardian statues usually take the form of a column carves in a female form and armed with a magical blade. The stone is enchanted to shatter any blade used against them.

From the pit there is the sound of grating stone on stone, but the sphinx fails to reach the top of the pit.

Auri delayed, Kzrira and Faelar can maintain or change actions if they like.